Book of New Zealand Words

This elegant, expert, and utterly up-to-date book contains over 1,500 samples from New Zealand’s distinctive vocabulary.

The informative introduction examines the development of New Zealand English, the distinctive influence of the Māori language, and the connections between society, the media, and our language. The author traces the origins of ‘New Zealandisms’ – from politics, food, sports, and recreation to common and colloquial sources.

Specially illustrated by the artist John Reynolds, with works from his masterpiece Cloud and all-new page art, the Book ofNew Zealand Words is a ‘box of birds’ for anyone interested in words.

Cloud

Learn more about John Reynolds's Cloud of New Zealand words:

About the author

Dr Dianne Bardsley is a noted lexicographer, former Director of the New Zealand Dictionary Centre and lecturer in the School of Linguistics and Applied Languages at Victoria University of Wellington. A regular media commentator, she has authored and contributed to many dictionaries and books on social history and language. Among her favourite New Zealandisms are howlybag, huckery and poozler.